A/N: Sorry to those who waited. Here it is, a short and sweet closure. Thank you, and I'm happy I can finally conclude this story.
Epilogue
When We Can Touch the Sky
"Just a little bit more, Sesshomaru-sama," the woman pleaded from behind the large canvas, "Please, just a little bit more."
His floppy white ears flicked in reflex. He had been holding an itch for quite a while now in this Inu form, but seeing her in such intense concentration, her brows knit together as her wrists flowed from palette to canvas, made him stay rooted obediently to his spot.
Forever, he told himself, as the clouds floated by adrift in the sky, as blue and vast as the spirit in eyes…
He shall gladly wait for her,
until his spirit would cease to exist.
The Youkai community did not wait for another day to pass since their mating. The morning after he marked her, was the day of their formal marriage. Everyone in his clan attended, and it was a sea of white that dominated the ceremony. There were a few of his woman's close relatives and friends; Kagome's uncle, the Shrine Maiden Kikiyo, and Sango, he recognized from Highschool. Souta was there, and though he had no memory of everything that happened, the boy was happy for his sister, as he always was.
The mated Naraku and Kagura also attended,
And some prominent figures, both in the Human and Youkai community.
But looking back he could not remember the rituals. He could not recall the greetings and well-wishes, nor the lavish gifts that would have them secured throughout their lifetime.
Only the happiness that filled him when his bride held his hand,
And the warmth of her smile when she promised him again her forever.
He thought his heart would explode. That renewed vow would stand the test of time, just as their bond had defied the uncharted abyss of death, and it gave him immense joy to know that she was there, his little Shrine Girl, to always welcome him with a smile as warm as the summer breeze. The warmth that he knew would reach out to him like the rays of the sun, streaming through the fire trees, always eager to touch.
Her laughter will fill his ears, and it gave him great comfort to know that he could reach back and touch her.
He will never let her go.
The woman finally shifted, and with a final flick of her wrist she looked at him and she smiled. "I'm finished."
The Inu sighed. In one swift movement, he found himself gravitating beside her, always beside her- and she peeked at him shyly.
"What do you think?" she asked.
*It's beautiful.*
The woman beamed proudly at herself, as he took a step back to observe her creation. Before him was a large portrait of him in his Inu form, sitting in the soft grass. But unlike those distant centuries ago where he was alone in her canvas, staring at the blue, blue sky,
She was beside him.
He thought his heart would overflow with protectiveness.
Despite all that has happened,
In her eyes, the world still remained beautiful.
She… remains beautiful.
"Gomen nasai, Sesshomaru-sama." She looked down in humble modesty. "It may not do justice with the actual you, but I tried my best-"
He fondly leaned over, . *Stop berating yourself. It's perfect, Kagome.* The giant Inu licked her cheek.
She blushed heavily. It had only been a few days since their wedding, and in the distance, guests lingered idly in the open Shrine grounds, resting, offering their prayers. "There are people," She looked down, nervously playing with the brush in her hands. She stole another shy glance at him,
and she slowly leaned to his warmth.
Although they learned that the world is an unforgiving, unfair place…
She had somehow proven to him that it was still a world where love could heal all things,
and friendships lasted forever.
He heard her sigh from beside him. Her bodily warmth left him, and she laid herself on the grass. They settled close beside each other, the woman's ebony hair splayed on his platinum white, creating a beautiful contrast of light and dark, mingling together in perfect harmony, swaying with the soft song of the wind, dancing with the trees and the grass and the flowers around them.
His Shrine Girl beside him suddenly fell quiet, and she stared longingly at the sky. And he fell into that same spell, basking in her mere presence.
For a small creature like her, she was filled with so much love that the warmth of her aura overflowed in the air around her. He could only hum in contentment.
"I'm glad that I'm home…" she quietly said, and the white Inu's ears quirked up in curiosity.
*In Bunkyo?*
She let out a carefree laugh, and he thought he would melt from the beautiful sound. Those two years without her seemed like forever,
He missed her:
"No, silly," she looked at him, breathtaking blue eyes febrile from the breathtaking summer day. She sat up from her position, and shyly, she declared…. "With you. Finally… with you."
The world, his world, will never be the same if she were not by his side.
*I love you, Kagome.*
He suddenly said, and for a while the woman fell quiet, still unused to his constant verbal and physical declarations.
She had asked for this from him countless times before, and his heart ached a little when he realized how long he had deprived her from such happiness.
"I love you more," she whispered, but the woman gasped when she felt herself being tackled by strong arms.
They both laid on the grass, him over her, his white hair falling on his shoulders, pooling with her midnight black hair.
He had morphed into human form, and he shook his head vigorously. "Please listen, because I want you to know this, because I need you to always remember. I love you."
Their fingers laced with each other, and Kagome smiled, her pretty blush getting heavier as he rested his head on her breathing chest, listening to the comforting sound of her beating heart.
"I will love you until my bones grow brittle, I will love you until my last breath…" He closed his eyes as he recited her vow, a vow that she had kept despite all the odds, "If in this life we end up losing each other, I will find you in the next… And then I will love you more, until my soul exhausts, until I am but a remnant of this fleeting world."
They remained silent as the rush of the wind rustled the flaming fire trees, and the scent of magnolia filled their exhilarated lungs.
Before them was a beautiful life together,
One that she deserved, and one that he would be happy to provide.
His father, a few days ago had announced the formal bequeathment of his position to him, the heir. Now he, Sesshomaru, was formally recognized as the new head of the inu clan.
Kagome also had her land titles formally signed off to her, making her the official Guardian of the Shrine of Shikon.
In a dream, the Kamis had told Kagome that she would be the last Shikon Guardian in existence.
She had lost her firstborn, breaking the only means to pass tradition. Her Shikon blood will never be passed to the second-born, or the third, or any other child …
As decided, the Kamis did not want another soul to grow corrupt from the greed of youth. They trusted her heart enough, and so her slow-aging lifespan will end with her.
The Inuyoukai passed a hand on her stomach longingly, and he did not notice the sudden quickening to her breath.
"Sesshomaru-sama, look!" She yelled excitedly, and he lifted his gaze. It was one of those airplanes, tearing through the sky. She stood, and she darted away from him, running after it as if she would be able to catch it.
*Kagome,* He called out, chasing after her as she laughed carefree against the wind.
"Ah, I never really did get to ride in one!" She turned to him, her eyes wide with contagious happiness.
Sesshomaru sighed. "Have you forgotten, I am now more than a hundred and fifty?"
Before she could even comprehend, he ran towards her and engulfed her in a warm embrace, and she suddenly found that the span of her arms was not even enough to encircle him.
He had transformed into his large Inu form, and she felt themselves lifted off the ground.
They were flying, the wind hitting her hair as she laughed in giddy excitement. "Sesshomaru," she exclaimed, breathless as he took her, higher and higher.
She buried her face in his hair, and he felt her genuine smile through his fur. He felt her beating heart,
And much to his surprise, he felt another one, very weak, yet it was there, slowly pulsing as if to life.
*You are with child,*
He said with shocked amazement,
*Kagome,*
"Ah, yes…
I was wondering when you would notice."
They could see the large grounds of the Shrine get smaller, the outline of the fire trees, flaming against the brightness of the summer sun. And they fell into a content silence yet again.
With warmth, trust,
And happiness…
They were flying,
soaring through the air that they felt they could finally touch the unreachable blue sky.
"I love you, Sesshomaru," she said, tears escaping her eyes.
He could feel his soul ringing, as loud as her devotion,
As strong and impenetrable as her loyalty.
*I love you, Kagome…
a million times more.*
He smiled. He would make sure he reminded her, by actions and by words,
Every waking hour of their precious, beautiful life.
End